We Return Thanks

 

We return thanks to our Mother, the earth,

which sustains us.

We return thanks to the rivers and streams,

which supply us with water.

We return thanks to all herbs,

which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.

We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters,

the beans and squashes,

which give us life.

We return thanks to the bushes and trees,

which provide us with fruit.

We return thanks to the wind,

which, moving the air, has banished diseases.

We return thanks to the moon and the stars,

which have given us their light when the sun was gone.

We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,

that he has protected his grandchildren

and has given us his rain.

We return thanks to the sun,

that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.

Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,

in whom is embodied all goodness,

and who directs all things for the good of all.

~Traditional Iroquois~

(© art by M. Roland)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning
Priestess Training & Mystery School
www.inhername.com

Full Moon Blessings

 

Happy Full Moon in the sign of Taurus and the longest partial eclipse in nearly 600 years!  November's full moon is often referred to as the Beaver or the Frost Moon. In our part of the world, the native Tohono O'odham refer to it as the "Moon of the Fair-Cold".  By whatever name you use, may this eclipse moon bring you clarity and wisdom.

(© art by Jill Battaglia)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Priestess Training & Mystery School

www.inhername.com

To The Fates

"Daughters of darkling Nyx, much named, draw near, infinite Moirai, and listen to my prayer; who in the heavenly lake, where waters white burst from a fountain hid in depths of night, and through a dark and stony cavern glide, a cave profound, invisible abide; from whence, wide coursing round the boundless earth, your power extends to those of mortal birth; To these acceding, in a purple veil to sense impervious, you yourselves conceal, when in the plain of Moira you joyful ride in one great car, with glory for your guide; till all-complete, your heaven appointed round, at justice, hope, and care's concluding bound, the terms absolved, prescribed by ancient law, of power immense, and just without a flaw. For Moira alone with vision unconfined surveys the conduct of the mortal kind. . . Come, gentle powers, well born, benignant, famed, Atropos, Lachesis and Clotho named; unchanged, aerial, wandering in the night, untamed, invisible to mortal sight; Moirai all-producing, all-destroying, hear, regard the incense and the holy prayer; propitious listen to these rites inclined, and far avert distress, with placid mind."

(Hymn to The Fates, Orphic Hymn, trans. Taylor; sculpture by Gottfried Schadow, 1790, Berlin)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Priestess Training & Mystery School

www.inhername.com

Happy Diwali!

 

May you be blessed with good fortune, prosperity and happiness!

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

www.inhername.com

Dia de los Muertos

The holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) begins on the evening of October 31st.  On that night, the small angelitos (spirit children) arrive, with the spirits of the adults following on the 1st of  November.  Family graves are decorated and altars created to honor the occupations and special preferences of the ancestors.  On Nov. 2nd, a large family meal is shared with favorite foods and the spirits are bid a fond goodbye until the next year.

 

These activities mirror an ancient Aztec festival, which honored the Lady of the Dead - the Goddess Mictecacihuatl - during the summer corn harvest.   It is now celebrated at the time of Samhain, Halloween and All Soul's Day in many parts of the world, including the U.S., Central America and Spain.  Different areas have different traditions, for example, in Guatemala they create colorful kites that can be up to 60 feet in diameter, a practice that has its roots in Mayan culture.  (see photo)

(© photo Multiturismo Moca)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

www.inhername.com

Happy Full Moon

 

Blessings of the 'Moon of the Falling Leaves' in the sign of Aries.
May you not miss what falls away and 

may what remains bring hope and peace.

(© art by Amelia Fox Aiko/deviantart)

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning
www.inhername.com

Happy Navratri!

 

The nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri begins on October 7th, 2021.  In the Sharad Navaratri, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are honored.  Each region celebrates this festival in their own tradition's manner, but in some areas three days each are dedicated to Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. This holiday culminates on the tenth day with the observance of Vijayadashami.

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

www.inhername.com

Statue of Venus found in Gloucestershire

 

From the article:

"Developers in Gloucestershire, England, recently received a sign of the goddess of love’s favor, unearthing a Roman-era statuette believed to depict Venus at the site of a new construction project.  'We know pieces like these were made in central France and the Rhineland/Mosel region of Germany during the first and second centuries [C.E.],' Armstrong says. 'It seems certain the figurine is from this period and is a representation of Venus. She would most likely have stood in someone’s home shrine for the goddess.' The figurine is made of pipeclay, a white clay found along the Rhine and Meuse rivers in what is now Germany. It is intact except for a missing base."

Click to read the full article

(© photo Cotswold Archaeology)

Thiruvananthapuram Temple: A Goddess for each Letter

 

From the article:

"The deities of each Malayam letter were found based on writings of Rig Veda, Siva Samhita, Devi Bhagavatam, Harinamakeerthanam, and on the references in the kritis of Adi Shankara...in the ancient times, sages had realised the power of letters and had recorded it for the benefits of the posterity...The sculptors and researchers also have gone through the research studies and compared it with what is stated about it in Vedas.  They realised that all the deities behind the letters were goddesses in the Devi cult.  They identified 51 deities and brought them to life in the stone figures chiselled out by master sculptors of Myladi...Before deciding over the three dimensional pictures of the dimensional pictures of the deities, elaborate efforts were made to prepare the sculpture with all minute details based on scriptures in Vedas and epics."

Click to Read Full Article

(© photo Times of India)